Out of the Frying Pan
by HaleKent
Summary: Takes place during and after "All The Rage." Non-canon. Jo and Zane have some things to discuss, and Jo's not making it easy on Zane. Will she finally tell him what she's been keeping from him? And what does Zoe have to do with any of it?


Global Dynamics was in chaos. Everyone was running around like zombies, tearing apart anything they could reach. Jo had a sinking feeling that Zane was somewhere in the mix, and that he had had something to do with everything. She just couldn't seem to find him. She had searched every floor, from level 5 to Fargo's office, and he was nowhere to be found. She was about to turn around and try again when she finally saw him. He was fighting off her security guards, taking on two at a time before knocking the last one, who said he wanted to be a librarian, to the ground.

Jo grabbed his wrist and twisted it until he was writhing in pain and anger. She pushed him against the wall, and a part of her missed where this usually led. She threw the gun out of his hand. "You need to come with me, now," she said forcefully.

"Bite me, Lupo," he growled, resisting her hold on him.

She smiled through her grinding teeth and pressed against him. "Don't tempt me," she hissed, bringing her mouth dangerously close to his.

"Or what?" he asked, flipping her around and pinning her against the wall. She squirmed against him, feeling his reaction to her proximity.

Jo bucked against him and grinned when his eyes flashed to blue and rolled back into his head. She released his hand and gripped his shoulders and his hands moved to her hips, pushing against her. "Come on, Zane," she said, wrapping her legs around his waist. "Is that the best you could do?"

"Haven't seen anything yet," he said, bringing his lips to hers roughly.

It felt like it had been entirely too long since she had kissed him. They never had, in this timeline, but it was just a few days since she had been with the _other_ Zane. And he had never been like this. It was exciting. He moved his hands up her body, roughly roaming over her clothed form. He shoved her jacket from her shoulders, letting it fall to the floor.

She ran her hands over his shirt, feeling his muscles tense under her touch. Her hands flew to the collar of his shirt, violently tearing it apart.

"I liked that shirt," he snarled.

"It's stupidly too tight. Besides, I like it a lot better off," she said, slinging it from his arms. His very nice, muscular arms.

"Uh huh," he said. He smiled mischievously and did the same to her shirt.

"Hey!"

"Much better," he said, latching his lips to her neck.

"Uh… huh…" she moaned, rolling her head back to give him better access.

"I want you, Jo-Jo," he mumbled as he nibbled on her ear.

Her head snapped up, staring at him intently. "What'd you call me?" she asked quietly.

Zane stopped what he was doing and looked at her. "You hate that don't you?" He smiled when she didn't answer. "You hate it."

Jo attacked his lips ferociously. Tongues and teeth clashed as they fought for dominance. They ignored the sounds of fighting going on just outside the hallway, until someone ran by, knocking against Zane's knees. The pair hit the ground with a thud and seemed dazed by the sudden movement. Jo remembered what she was here to do, and she remembered what she had to do.

Reluctantly, she climbed to her feet and pulled him up with her. She grabbed her jacket and roughly slid her arms through. She buttoned it as high as it could as to not show her chest as much as possible.

"What're you doing?" he asked breathlessly as she grabbed his arm.

"Taking you to the infirmary."

"What about…"

"Whenever we are in our right minds again, then maybe," she said with finality. While they rode the elevator, he had her pinned again, mashing his lips to hers. It was almost impossible for her to say no to him. She just hoped he wouldn't be able to remember this later. The lift stopped, and she drug him out, cautiously watching his eyes go from clear and blue to bloodshot and yellow, and then back to blue. It was curious, but she kept going, knowing that if she stopped, she would end up doing something they would later regret.

They reached Dr. Blake without taking anymore breaks in between. Zane had gone livid when they walked in, and there was nothing else Jo could do about it. Once they had sedated him and Dr. Parrish, Jo took Allison aside. "I've got something to tell you," Jo said, glancing over to Zane.

"Sure, Jo. What is it?"

Jo blushed as she looked back to the doctor. "When I went to get Zane, he kind of attacked me. But not in an aggressive way." Jo looked down, and Allison noticed the spot on her neck.

"Jo, is that a hickey?"

Her eyes widened and her hand flew immediately to her neck where Zane's lips had been just minutes before. She nodded. "That's what I was getting at. I found out one way to bypass the rage."

Allison noticed Jo's brown eyes. There was no trace of yellow or and her eyes were clear. "That's… interesting. Your eyes are clear."

"Yeah, I'm feeling a lot better," she said. "Do me a favor? Don't tell anyone about this?"

"Of course," Allison agreed. Just moments later, Allison's phone rang. Thankful for the distraction, she reached for it. Both Dr. Parrish and Zane were waking up from the sedative. "It's Carter!"

Just minutes later, everyone was back to normal. Jo managed to leave before Zane was released. She really didn't want to face him quite yet. Luckily, no one was focused enough to see her love bite.

…

Hours later, Jo was sitting on her couch, sipping a really large glass of wine, trying to make sense of the afternoon's alarming discoveries. She was just about to get started watching the new season of some ridiculous reality show when there was a knock at her door. She groaned and set her glass down. She wished, just for a moment, that she had something like SARAH, just so she could see who was there as she sat on her couch. But instead, she walked over and peered out of the peephole. "Zane?" she asked herself quietly. She opened the door and masked her surprise easily. "Zane… What're you doing here?"

"I came to talk to you," he said uncomfortably. "Can I come in?"

"Sure," she complied, allowing him in.

He took a moment to look around before looking back to her, blatantly eyeing her tank top and small shorts. "Well, you look comfy."

She wrapped her arms around her chest, trying to hide herself from his gaze. "Yeah, well, I wasn't expecting company. So, what did you want to talk about?"

"Right. So, you see, I don't remember much. I remember being in the lab, and I remember you getting very angry at me. Then, I remember something very, very confusing," he said with an evil smirk.

"That right?" she asked, going back to her couch. She sat down and took a bigger gulp of wine.

"Oh, yeah," he said, sitting next to her. "I remember you, and me, getting a little friendly while everyone else was ripping each other's heads off." She inhaled sharply as he tucked some hair over her shoulder. "You wanna tell me what that was about, Jo-Jo?"

"What do you remember?" she rasped.

"A lot of this," he said. He wrapped his hand around the back of her neck, slowly stroking the hickey with his thumb, and bringing her closer to him. Slowly and softly, his lips moved with hers. She wasted no time in kissing him back, which only made it worse. After regaining focus, she pulled back and pushed him away.

"Zane… stop," she panted. She slid out from his grasp and stood, pacing at the end of the couch. "I can't do this."

"Why not?" he asked, stepping in front of her. "Because earlier, you seemed all for it."

"Because I wasn't thinking clearly then. I am now. We can't…" Jo said, stepping back.

Frustrated, Zane groaned. "You know, Lupo, I don't understand you. One minute, you're all over me, making me want you in ways I'd only dreamed of, and the next you're pushing me away, telling me we can't. As I see it, we're both adults. There's nothing that says we can't. So what's your deal?"

Jo sighed and looked up to his sparkling blue eyes. "I can't tell you."

"Tell me what?" he almost screamed.

"I just can't tell you. I'm sorry."

Zane stormed to the door, and stared at it before looking back. "I know you're hiding something, Jo. I know it! Either you tell me, or I'll figure it out!" he promised. He left just as abruptly. The house rattled as he slammed the door, and Jo collapsed back onto her couch. She downed the rest of her wine. She wanted to call him back, tell him everything, and pray that he would accept her and want her as bad as she wanted him. But she really needed to talk to Carter and/ or Allison before she made her decision.

…

Zoe smiled as she looked in her mirror. Her brown hair was manicured perfectly around her face, and her makeup was light and feature defining.

"Don't you look nice today?" SARAH said over the intercom in her room.

"Thank you, SARAH," she said.

"Do you have a date?" the house asked curiously.

"Sort of. There are some new interns starting over at GD, and I'm a chaperone. And I get to see a certain someone I've had my eye on."

"Do you mean Zane Donovan?" she asked.

Zoe would have given her a pointed look, but SARAH wouldn't have understood it anyway. "Just don't say anything to Dad, okay?" she asked as she continued to primp. Zoe was excited. Getting to know Zane was new and interesting. Sure Lucas was still around, sort of, but he wasn't Zane...She grabbed her bag and bounced down the stairs. "Morning," she said to her dad as sipped his coffee.  
"Morning," he said groggily. "So, you're chaperoning the new interns today, huh?" the sheriff said as Zoe grabbed a smoothie from the fridge.  
"Yep," she said enthusiastically.  
"I would be the official chaperone," Jo said with a smile as she stirred her coffee.  
"Well, that's gonna be fun," Jack said with a laugh.  
"They are the future of GD, so they'll be a little more mature than the average graduate," Jo said, defending the group.  
"But they're still teenagers," Zoe said. "Sometimes the smart ones are the worst."  
"Says you," Jack laughed. Zoe glared at him, and he retreated. "You girls have fun!" Jack left them alone as he grabbed his holster and went topside.  
"Don't forget that I'm going to the dance at City Hall tonight!" Zoe called after him. She didn't really care if he heard her or not. She rolled her eyes and looked at the woman who had become a sister to her. "Jo, can I ask you something?" she asked.  
"Anything," the older woman said.  
"So, umm, there's this guy that I'm kinda in to. It's new, and different, and I think I'm really into him. What do I do?"

Jo was quiet for a moment as she contemplated what she wanted to tell the girl who was practically her sister. "Life's short. Everything can change in the blink of an eye," she said with more confidence than she felt. She couldn't help but think about her experiences with Zane the last week.

"Thanks, Jo."

…

The little twerps were annoying as hell. "They'll be fine," Fargo said. "They're just new interns." They were still freaking aggravating kids. Not to mention that all they wanted to see was the stinking tesla coil which is stupid, because they all can probably make one.

Zoe looked like she was having a great time. She looked so eager to look around, and Jo was curious as to whom she was looking for. When Fargo came into the rotunda, he seemed as excited as Jo. All was fine until it was her lunch break at Café Diem. Zane seemed to pop up out of nowhere, and to make matters worse, he was coming on to her! That was just… bizarre. And Vincent didn't say a word about it!

Utterly frustrated, she stomped back to Global Dynamics, ready to finish the worst tour she's ever had the displeasure of giving. She entered the rotunda to wait on her group to reform in fifteen minutes like she had told them to. She was not expecting to see Zoe mindlessly flirting with some guy. _That girl will flirt with anything that moves,_ Jo laughed to herself. It wasn't until Carter walked by the younger girl and looked at the pair disapprovingly. His eyes flashed to Jo, and she could see a look of sympathy coming from him. _Now, why would he look at me like that unless…_ The guy Zoe was flirting with turned around, and Jo felt like she couldn't catch her breath. She turned away and clutched her chest. She could literally feel her heart breaking into pieces. She felt Jack at her side, and she almost held onto him. Together, they walked around a corner where the prying eyes of others could not see Jo Lupo at her weakest.

"Carter," she gasped, looking up at him with wide, teary eyes. "Zoe an-and Zane! Her new guy i-is my old guy! Carter, I told her to go for it! I can't… Oh, God…" She buried her head into the older man's chest. He wrapped his arms around her, and he tried soothing the hyperventilating woman.

"Hey," Jack said, rubbing her back softly, "I keep telling myself it's just a crush. It won't last."

"But what if it's not?" she asked, pulling away to look at him. "What if it does last, and I've lost him forever?" She looked so scared and lost. With finality, she looked back up to him. "We need to tell them. I can't keep telling Zane that nothing was ever between us, and I really need to tell your daughter why I'm suddenly in love with her new boyfriend!"

Jack was quiet for a minute, before nodding in agreement. "We do. They need to know. If Henry can tell Grace, then there's no reason we can't tell the two people who matter most to us."

"Thanks, Carter," Jo said. She rubbed her face, wiping away any trace of tears. "Do I look okay?"

"You look fine," he told her. She squared her shoulders, and together, they walked around the corner, ready to face the obstacles in their way.

…

Zoe rolled her eyes as her dad gave her and Zane a disapproving glare. Zane just chuckled lightly as his eyes strayed to Jo. He saw Jo disappear around a corner, and Jack was on her tail. They came back just minutes later, and Zane swore he saw her eyes rimmed red. He could hear Zoe chattering on about something, but he really couldn't bring himself to listen to the younger girl. He really didn't know why he even flirted with her. It was just so easy to get under Carter's skin.

The new interns came into the rotunda and were entirely too exuberant. "Okay, everyone, line it up! We only have a few more stops left in the tour." _So, let's get this over with_, she thought hurriedly.

"Where are we going now?" one of the little brats asked, as if it really mattered.

"Section Two, artificial clothing manufacturing," Zoe said with a smile.

The trip down could have been quicker, but with the fifteen interns plus the now three chaperones made for a cramped elevator ride. Zane seemed to have made a point to get directly between Jo and Zoe. The latter seemed completely content with staring blatantly at the man, while Jo furiously fought her feelings to grab his hand. The doors opened to reveal several carts of different styles of clothing.

"May I give a demonstration?" Jo asked the woman. She nodded and handed a shirt and a bucket Security Director Lupo. "Zane, would you care to help?" she asked sweetly.

"Sure, Lupo, do your worst," Zane said with a smirk.

"It's an interesting little thing that they've come up with. The neat thing about these," Jo said as she allowed him to slip the shirt over his own, "is that water can't wet it. It's cleaned with a special soap that they have also created. No more clothing stains, no more getting wet on a rainy day. Just like this" She looked down to the crowd and whispered, "You might want to back up." They did as she suggested and stepped away from Zane. Jo smiled and thrust the contents of the bucket at him, tossing water all over Zane's face and chest.

"So, you could go swimming and your clothes would not get wet?" one of them asked, looking at the pool next to them.

The scientist looked at the group with wide eyes and shook her head violently. She spoke up before they decided to test any more clothing. "Yes and no," she said politely. "Once we've got everything sorted, you'll be able to do a lot more than not get wet. But for now, that's the only thing we've procured."

The scientist handed Zane a normal, water absorbing towel, and blushed as he pulled the shirt off, causing the one under it to ride up and show his toned stomach. Jo stared, but quickly regained her focus, only to find him showing off a smirk.

"Now onto the infirmary!"

…

Jo was happy that Allison took over the tour, allowing the interns to get physicals while she leaned against a wall and tried not to think about Zane. "You alright?" a familiar timbre said next to her. She opened her eyes and saw the bane of her existence standing in front of her.

"Just perfect," she said with a fake smile.

"Can't lie to me, Jo-Jo," he said, stroking her arm.

"Don't touch me," she hissed, jerking her arm away from him.

"Oh, come on. You can't lie to me," he chuckled. And she was so, so tired of doing that.

"Can we just please get through this? I swear we will talk about this later!" she said.

"Jo?" Fargo called, walking in from the entrance. "Who are you talking to?"

"Zane," she said in an obvious way.

"Zane's not down here," he said. He looked down to his side and told something to shut up. "I passed him coming here just a few minutes ago."

"I was just talking to him…

He looked down and started rambling about something she didn't exactly understand. "Jo, will you tell this annoying little intern to _leave me alone_!"

"Umm… Fargo, there's no one there…" she said, entirely confused.

"So are we… uhh—"

"We're hallucinating," Allison said as she approached the duo. "I thought it was just me and Carter, but it's you guys, too…"

"I've got to end this tour. Now. I can't walk around thinking I'm seeing someone that I'm not. So, _Director_ Fargo, please, end this. Now," Jo practically growled.

"Alright!" Fargo said loudly. "That ends the tour for today. We'll see you all next week when you get started." He ushered the group back to the elevator that led back to the rotunda.

"So," Dr. Blake said as she looked at Jo suspiciously. "Who were you seeing?"

"Zane. My Zane. I mean, other timeline Zane," she stuttered. "What about you?"

"I see Tess," Allison said, staring at an empty bed.

"Oh, well this is going to get interesting," Jo groaned.

…

Allison, Carter, Fargo, Jo, Henry, and Grace met up at Café Diem, looking at the each one interestingly. "Well, we think it has something to do with our neural connection," Henry said, pointing to the metal behind his ear.

"So, that power surge that happened, could it have something to do with what's going on?" Carter asked.

"It's possible," Grace said. "We already had a connection." She pointed between herself and Henry. "You brain must have created another connection that only you can see, which is why you're hallucinating."

"Great. How can we fix it?" Jo said enthusiastically.

"Well…." Henry droned about how they could fix it. Jo's name never came up, and for that, she was grateful. She wished them all good luck and returned to her office at Global. She sat in her big, comfortable chair and groaned as she settled her head in her hands.

"Rough day?" a deep voice asked from across the room.

"Oh, God, not now… Please," she begged quietly.

"Can't run from me forever, Jo-Jo," he said with a smile as he approached her.

"What do you want? You want to tell me how nice my ass looks while I'm holding a gun?"

"Well, you do have a nice ass," Zane said with a smirk.

"Okay. You really want to have this all out? Okay. The truth is I have been romanticizing our relationship this entire time. There was a reason I hesitated, and now, I know what it is," she said softly.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, completely confused.

"You and I," she said, looking to him, "we don't fit. So, I'm over it. I'm over us." She was lying through her teeth, and she only prayed that he couldn't tell. "If you… wanna hang out with Zoe," she said as she unhooked the chain that was around her neck, go ahead. I'm done." She tossed the ring at him, and she wasn't fazed at all when he caught it. In fact, she didn't think twice about it until he held it up and looked at her.

"What are you doing with my grandmother's ring, Jo? What's going on?" he asked, quickly becoming more upset, and angrier.

"Hey, Jo," Carter said as he walked in. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but I'm going to have to take you in to custody for questioning."

"Yeah sure," Zane said, scrutinizing Jo intensely. "We have some talking to do."

Jo collapsed in her desk chair and tried desperately not to hyperventilate. That was Zane. The _real_ Zane. "Oh, God," she whispered repetitively.

It seemed like no time before Carter returned, sans Zane. "So, um, you gave him the ring back?" he asked curiously.

"Uh, yeah… I thought it was the _other_ Zane… It kind of surprised me whenever he actually caught it," she said quietly. She looked up to the man who had become her close friend. "I don't know what to do…"

"Well," Carter said, walking toward her, patting her shoulder comfortingly, "you can tell him… I've talked with Allison and Henry. They understand that we need to tell them. They won't be upset."

"Thanks, Jack," Jo sniffed as she stood and hugged her former boss.

"No problem. But he's still in containment. Henry's talking to him, and you promised to help out at that dance at City Hall tonight…" he said.

"But can't I talk to him now?" she pouted.

"Sorry, but we really are trying to figure all this out," he said, reassuringly.

"Alright… Just give me a call later?"

"Sure, Jo."

…

Jo walked in to the crowded hall, surprised to see that so many people had shown up for the congratulatory party for the new interns. She recognized many of the interns, their parents, and many others that just came out to wish them good luck and congratulations. She said hello as she made her way across the room, glancing around and noting that nothing was out of place. She saw Fargo, whom did not seem to be talking to anyone who was not actually there. She didn't see Allison or Grace, but she assumed they were still back at GD.

Jo groaned internally when she saw Zoe walk in. She was _not_ up to dealing with her yet. She wasn't not surprised to see that the younger girl had gone back to the bunker, changed and primped.

The low cut shirt Zoe had been wearing earlier was replaced by a purple, sequined, halter top dress that cut off right above her knee. She had curled her short brown hair and darkened her make up just enough to brighten her eyes. Zoe smiled and waved at the various people who welcomed her inside, giving out hugs to a chosen few. Jo saw Zoe notice her and waved, approaching her happily.

Jo panicked. She was not prepared to face this young woman yet. She smiled, at least she thought she did, and gestured to the bathroom. Instead of going into the bathrooms like she had intended, she swept into a mostly empty office. She leaned against the bare desk and looked at her feet, praying for something good to happen. Soon.

She jumped when she felt a hand brush her hair back. "You look good with your hair down."

"Dammit, Zane!" she squeaked in surprise. "You scared me."

"Sorry," he said, taking a step back, seemingly to remember that he was upset with her. His anger was almost forgotten, again, when Ho looked at him with sad eyes. "Can we talk?"

She knew it was time. "I just have one question." He nodded in consent. "What's the deal with you and Zoe? I mean, she's like a sister to me, and I really don't want to see her get hurt."

…

Zoe was relieved to be surrounded by people she knew so well. She had really missed being in Eureka. She said hello to everyone who spoke to her, and when she saw Jo, she smiled and waved at her friend. It confused her when she saw Jo look scared, but it was soon covered by a smile and a notion to go to the bathroom. Zoe didn't pause to question it further. Fargo caught her attention, and she was perfectly happy to talk about a new thermo-aerodynamic propulsion system that he was helping engineer.

Zoe kept an eye on the door, keeping a look out for the one guy she had a major crush on. She smiled widely when said man came through. She excused herself from Fargo's animated discussion on hypothermic cooling controls to go after Zane. She followed him toward the offices, excited that she was actually going to be able to get him alone for a few minutes. She grumbled quietly when she heard him talking to someone; however, her interest peaked when she heard a very familiar voice.

"I just have one question. What's the deal with you and Zoe? I mean, she's like a sister to me, and I really don't want to see her get hurt," Jo said.

Zoe heard Zane laugh ruefully. "There's nothing going on with us. She has a crush on me." She saw him shrug, and she felt a pang in her chest.

"Yeah, but you're not doing anything to tell her you're not interested. Or are you? I can't tell anymore," Jo said angrily.

"I'm not! Jo, she's almost half my age!" he said, exasperated. "Besides, I was only leading her on to mess with Carter…"

That did it. "What the hell, Zane?" Zoe asked angrily. "You were using me!"

"What? No, I mean…" He didn't have a chance to respond before she slapped him. "Ow!" he said, rubbing his reddening cheek.

"That's for trying to get at my dad through me. If you weren't interested in me, you should have just told me! I really do understand some things. I'm not some love sick teenager. Besides, what the hell is going on with you two?" Zoe asked, crossing her arms in front of her angrily. "I thought you hated each other."

Zane smiled and looked at Jo, who looked like a deer caught in headlights. "Yeah, Jo-Jo. I thought we hated each other," he smirked.

Jo sighed and looked between them both. "You're probably not going to believe this, but I'm not from this timeline. Fargo, Allison, Carter, Henry, and I accidentally used the Einstein Bridge and were sent back to 1947. We changed something, and then we were brought back to this timeline. We all promised not to tell anyone, but Henry told Grace, and Jack and Allison already knew, so we all decided it was time for you two to know, since you're both important to us. In the other line, Allison was director of GD. Henry was _not_ married. Fargo had a girlfriend. Archimedes wasn't bronzed. I was still a deputy, and Zane… he had just proposed to me." The two listeners were looking at her with wide eyes and open mouths. "I know it's hard to believe, but really. Zane, that's how I had your grandmother's ring… You probably still have the one she gave you, too." The silence in the room was deathly. The only thing heard was the others breathing. "Oh, god, please, say something."

Simultaneously, the pair started laughing hysterically, grasping their stomachs. Nervously, Jo laughed with them, but she couldn't understand what was so funny.

"Oh my gosh!" Zoe giggled. "Could you imagine Allison as director?"

"I was thinking of Fargo with a girlfriend," Zane laughed heartily.

Jo sobered and looked at them. "Really, guys? Totally not the point of all this."

Slowly, they regained their posture. "Sorry," Zoe said.

"Yeah. Sorry…" Realization sunk in, and they both had a glazed look of confusion. "You and I were… engaged?" Zane asked slowly.

"Um, sort of. I froze, and didn't give you an answer. Then, I went back in time, came here, and that's why you got that big speech when I came to the sheriff's office," Jo explained.

"That makes a little more sense…" he said quietly.

"Well, what about me? Did I change?" Zoe panicked.

"Aside from being interested in Zane? Nope. You're the same. Unless something happened with Lucas?" Jo asked, hopeful that he was still in Zoe's life.

"No… He's still at MIT. I just don't get to see him very much, not for lack of trying. But you know what, you two need to sort some things out. Jo, I'm sorry I intruded on your territory, but I just wish you could've told me sooner. And Zane, just be glad I'm not going to tell my dad about this. He would lock you up, and I'm positive he wouldn't be as friendly as _Deputy_ Lupo," she smiled and went to turn away. "We'll talk later," she called over her shoulder to Jo. She shut the door behind her and continued out to the dance floor. Suddenly, something felt… _right_.

…

Zane smiled as she walked out, leaving him and Jo in an office with limited space. He turned and pulled out a new device he had created, and Jo heard the door lock. She looked at the device in his hand, but failed to recognize it.

"What is that?" she asked.

"This is what I call a sonic screwdriver. It's a little thing that I… you know what, never mind. But this," he said, waving the screwdriver at her before tucking it in his blazer, "it really isn't the topic of discussion."

"It's… it's not?" Jo gulped.

"No, it's not, Jo-Jo," he said, stepping towards her. "There are a few things that _we_ need to discuss. Like, what now? I know the big secret. I feel like this," he said, gesturing between them, "makes more sense. I understand why every fiber of my being is hyper sensitized when I'm around you. I understand why the first time we kissed felt like it wasn't. And I'm starting to understand why I recognize that dress, even though I know I've never seen you in anything so beautiful."

Jo blushed, and nodded. "I wore this one our first date. We met at Café Diem after I got out of church. You said something smart, and I felt stupid."

"You go to church?" Zane asked quizzically.

"Every Sunday," she replied confidently.

He smiled and gently stroked her cheek. "I'd love to go with you some time."

Her eyes widened at this. "Really? I mean, I thought you were an atheist?"

"I am. But if it's something important to you, and it's something you believe in, then I'm willing to give it a shot," he smiled brightly.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. "Thank you," she whispered. He hugged her back and didn't pull away until she did. "So, um… what are we? I mean—"

"Well, this relationship is still new, so I don't think I'm quite ready to propose, again. But, I really like you Jo. And I know that there's this strong connection between us. I want to give us a shot. Unless you're sticking to what you said earlier about being over us?" he joked.

"No. No, no, no, no, no. I want to be with you," she said eagerly.

"Good. Because I couldn't imagine my life without you, Jo-Jo," he smiled in earnest. Gently, he brought his lips to hers, kissing her softly. It was just a moment later before she deepened the kiss. He broke away for air, resting his forehead against hers. "So," he panted. "My place or yours?"

She laughed and pushed him away. "Nice try, Mr. Donovan, but it's not going to be that easy." She yanked the door open, surprised that it actually did not break.

He smirked as he watched her sashay down the hall. "Okay then," he said, straightening his blazer, "my place it is."

THE END.


End file.
